Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Needles earns a D, 561st among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $38K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. What it does well: a typical home costs about $184K, 2.1 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Needles, above both California’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 106 of California’s 1,063 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Needles beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
49.3% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Needles is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,807 in 1920, 4,931 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 2 maps from 1950 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Needles, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Needles.
Needles trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, sends many workers across the state line to Mohave Valley and keeps more of its land conserved than most of California.
Homes are within reach (about $184K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 43 miles. At 2.1 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $184K) costs less against local pay than in any other California town; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
The median rent in Needles is $745 a month. The typical Needles home is worth about $184,000, down 2.2% in a year, 76% below the California typical home. 52% of households own their home in Needles.
| Needles | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $745 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Needles Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Colorado ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 319 | – |
| Needles HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 269 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its 9,781 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of California towns.
38 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Needles’ trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jack Smith Marina | — | 9 |
| 2. Jo Jo Garcia Memorial Sports Complex | — | 7 |
| 3. Duke Watkins Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 1,932 U.S. towns with household incomes like Needles’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of Needles adults smoke cigarettes. Needles beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 33% of Needles adults get no exercise outside work.
| Needles | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Needles | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.2% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.4% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Needles since 1999.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Needles Ap weather station records that about 177 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 44.8°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 109.6°.
Needles has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. No town among the 846 in California we compare has a higher July high than Needles. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Needles | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 110°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23% of working residents cross a state line to work, Mohave Valley among the top destinations. Needles has about as many jobs (1,366) as working residents, but only 437 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Needles’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Needles grew to 1,366 in 2023, 177 more than in 2013. Among 846 California towns, just 7 have a lower median household income than Needles.
| Needles | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Needles's reported crime rate is above California's. Only 6 of the 437 California towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Needles.
| Needles | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Needles; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Needles residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
City in California, United States
Needles is a city in San Bernardino County, in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California. Situated on the western banks of the Colorado River, Needles is located near the California border with Arizona and Nevada. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95. The population was 4,931 at the 2020 census, up from 4,844 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Needles grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #561 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
2 notable people were born here, including Natalie Diaz and Shirley Breeden.